Orion's Journey
by Orion Menelaus
Summary: Orion Degraw is 17 years old. He lives at home with his mother and life seems fine. He has a friend who understands him, cool car,and a loving family. Until one day everything changes. Btw this is my first fanfic so plz review.
1. And so it begins

**Chapter 1**

"Orion! Can you come in here please?" His mother called from the next room. Orion got up from his bed and went to see what his mother wanted. "Yeah Mom?" He then noticed that his mother wasn't alone in the room. "Orion, this is Jeremy. He's a friend from work." Orion, being the protective teen he is, immediately went on the defensive. "What does he want?" Said Orion. Instantly Orion's mother glared at him and apologized to Jeremy on behalf of Orion's comment. "It's Okay Alexa. Orion I really am just a friend of your mom's." He said. "Oh, sorry." Said Orion. He stuck his hand out to shake Jeremy's, when suddenly, his phone began to ring. He looked at his mom pleadingly, she nodded letting him know it was ok. "Hello?" Said Orion. "I'm on my way over." said a mystery voice. "Okay remember, it's the brown house." Said Orion. He then hung up the phone and said to his mother "That was Artie, he's on his way over." "Oh, okay." Said Alexa giving her son a suspicious look. "What are you two going to do?" She asked. "Not much, play the ps3, probably go chill at the mall." He replied. "Okay, Just be careful." She warned him. Not needing to say anything else, Alexa kissed Orion on the forehead and left the house with Jeremy.

After she left, Orion went to his room and looked in the mirror. He noticed that his tan skin looked really shiny today. He then looked at his hazel eyes and chocolate brown hair and thought "Wow! I look sexy today, those girls at the mall better watch out." That's when the doorbell rang. Orion opened the door for a tall guy with light brown skin. Orion noticed that the boy was holding two bows and two quivers. "You ready?" The boy said. "Ready for what?" Orion asked. The boy gave Orion a "duh" look and replied "dude I told you we were going hunting this weekend" Orion, finally remembering the conversation, groaned and said " Aww Artie, I thought that was next weekend." Artie, obviously annoyed, looked at the outfit Orion was wearing and replied "Just go change into some shorts. I can wait." "Okay give me a second." said Orion.

Orion ran to his room and threw on some camo shorts. He was slowly getting excited, as this was his first time hunting. He came back in a matter of seconds, grabbed his keys, and said "lets go." They walked out of the house and got into Orion's red charger. Orion never knew where the car came from, his mother said it was a gift from an uncle, but he didn't believe her, on the count of he didn't know any of his father's family and his mother's brothers couldn't afford anything like this.

On the way to the forest Orion started getting very anxious. He thought this was weird cause he never got anxious about much, usually girls, his car, and music. Orion is an awesome singer, according to others. His mother says he sounds just like his father when he sings. Orion and Artie finally arrived at the hunting grounds and Artie hands Orion a bow and quiver. Just having the bow in his hands made Orion feel energized. Then out the corner of his eyes he saw something moving. As if he'd done it a thousand times, Orion notched an arrow and shot it straight into the side of a deer. Artie, astounded and a little jealous, asked Orion "How'd you do that." Orion, just as amazed as Artie, replied "I don't know." As the hours passed it seemed Orion's senses were getting faster, he hit everything he shot at. Artie, on the other hand, wasn't as cut out for archery, he missed everything he shot at. So out of jealousy he told Orion it was time to go.

On the way the car Orion sensed that they were being followed. Orion finally turned around just to find himself staring eye to eye with a black scorpion twice his size. Orion's whole body went rigid. "Artie, when I count to three, run." He warned his friend. "Okay." Artie replied with the same urgent tone. "1-2-…" Orion counted but before he could hit three the scorpion struck with it's tail. On instinct, Orion pushed Artie and dodged the strike all in one breath. He then heard a weird whistling sound. The scorpion went for a second strike but paused in mid strike. Before Orion could see why, the scorpion exploded into a pile of gold dust. When the dust cleared Orion noticed that he and Artie weren't the only people in the forest. There was now a girl, about the age of twelve, with auburn hair and silver eyes holding a silver bow and arrow. Her tone was urgent "Come with me." she said. "Who are you?" Orion replied. The girl paused for a second and decided there was enough time to introduce herself. "My name is Artemis. And if you don't come with me, we will all die." On that note, Orion and Artie didn't wait for her to repeat it.


	2. Demigod?

**Hey guys this is chapter 2! REVIEW PLEASE! Enjoy.**

**Chapter 2**

It seemed to Orion like they'd been running for hours, but he couldn't really tell because all he could see was the blur of trees and sunshine. Plus, inside he was still in shock, on the count of he had almost died. _Who is this girl? _he thought. He then called out "Artemis". She slowed down so that he could catch up to her. "Yes Orion?" she replied. "How did you kill that scorpion so easily?" he asked. Smiling Artemis replied "Orion, I've been killing monsters like that for many years, me _**and**_ your father." Orion was so surprised that she mentioned his father that he tripped over a fallen tree branch. Artemis and Artie both stopped running and went to help him up. "I'm sorry, you mentioned my father and I got a bit shocked." said Orion. "It's okay Orion." Said Artemis.

After helping him up and dusting him off Artemis closed her eyes and listened to their surroundings. "We should stop and rest for a while. Artie, can you go find us some firewood?" she asked. Artie nodded and headed off into the woods. When he was fully gone Orion broke the silence and asked the one question burning inside him. "Who is my father, Artemis? And how do you know him?" Artemis just smiled and replied "You will find out soon." "Why can't you just tell me?" he asked. "If I were to tell you, you wouldn't believe me." she replied. Orion took her word for it and asked another question. "How do you know my father? You're like twelve." Once again she smiled. "I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt. I only appear this way because of my hunters." she replied. _Okay this girl is bonkers _Orion thought. _I mean, who claims to be a goddess? _So Orion decided to call her bluff. "If you are a 'goddess', then what is my deepest dream?" he asked her. She didn't even hesitate in replying "To meet your father."

Stunned, Orion went into a volley of questions. Needless to say, she answered all of them correctly. After the last questioned was answered, Orion went silent. "What's wrong Orion?" she asked. "If you are _the_ goddess Artemis, then why are you talking to us? I thought you didn't really take interest in boys?" he replied. Artemis, seeing his point, replied "Because you are _special_. And I help special people." Hearing that, Orion thought she meant mentally challenged. He didn't doubt it, He was dyslexic and diagnosed with ADHD so that would explain a lot of his troubles with school.

When Artie came back with the firewood, they explained Artemis's true identity to him. "Wow" was all he could say at first, but then he asked her "Does that mean you know who my mother is?" She looked at him and said "Yes I do, but just as I told Orion, I cannot tell you. For you will find out soon." "Where are we going anyway?" asked Artie. "Somewhere for special people like you." she replied. Artie's face lit up in a way as if he just realized something. "If you're a goddess can't you just teleport us? My feet are killing me." "Yes Artie, I can teleport us, but I think we should stay on foot. It's much more fun." she replied. That's when Artie groaned and became more whiny than Orion can ever remember. "But my shorts are getting ripped up, and I'm all scarred up. Artemis looked like she was going to kill him. "ENOUGH! You sound like your mother. GOSH! Okay I will teleport us just stop whining." she replied. They then held hands and closed their eyes.

When Orion opened his eyes again he was no longer in the forest. He was now standing next to a hearth in the middle of cabins all making a giant U shape. But as he turned around he could see more cabins off further away. "Where are we?" he asked. Artie replied saying "Camp Half blood." Orion was about to ask how he knew that but then he saw what Artie was looking at. A blonde girl, with piercing grey eyes, wearing an orange t-shirt that said "Camp Half Blood" on it, was running toward them. In the same moment, Orion noticed Artemis was no longer with them. "Oh great! Just teleport us here and then disappear, thanks Artemis." said Artie. The blonde girl finally caught up to them and said "Where did you two come from?" "Buffalo, NY." replied Orion. "Okay so since you were able to enter the camp you're obviously demigods." "Demi-whats?" asked Artie with a hint of sarcasm. "Demigods." said Orion. "It means that one of your parents is a god or goddess." said the girl. "Who are you?" said Orion. "My name is Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Athena." she replied "Welcome to Camp Half Blood."

**Who do you think Orion's father is? Who do you think Artie's mother is? Review and tell me your guesses. Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	3. This one time at Camp

**Sorry I haven't updated lately. School has hectic. This chapter is shorter than the others. On the count of there's not much I can put in it without it being stupid. So enjoy. REVIEW PLEEEEEAAASSSSEEE!**

**Chapter 3**

After meeting Annabeth, she took them to the big house and introduced them to Chiron the centaur. Artie was given Percy Jackson of the Poseidon cabin as a tour guide. Annabeth gave Orion a tour of the camp. Everything was just so fascinating. They had an archery field, a climbing wall that spewed lava, and a battle arena._ All I could ever need or want. _Orion thought. When the tour was over, he got curious and turned to Annabeth and asked "How do you know who your godly parent is?" He then noticed she, and everybody around them, was looking at the top of his head. "That's how" she said. Orion looked up only to see an orange flaming sun. He then heard the loud raspy voice of Chiron the centaur yell "All hail Orion Degraw, Son of Apollo, god of Archery, Prophecy, Healing, Music, and Poetry."

After being claimed, Orion ran to meet Artie and tell him what had happened. Coincidentally, he was looking for him also. "Hey Artie, guess what?" he said "What?" Artie replied. "I got…" Orion stopped talking and looked above Artie's head where a pink flaming dove sat. When he looked back at Artie, he noticed that he had changed his clothes. He was now wearing designer jeans and a very tight muscle shirt and his hair was cleanly cut. Girls from the Eros cabin began to swoon. Then once again he heard the loud raspy voice of Chiron the centaur, who yelled "All hail Artie Hamilton, son of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, Lady of doves." Everyone bowed and clapped.

After everything went back to normal, Orion decided to continue the conversation that he and Artie were having before he'd gotten claimed. "I got claimed too." he said. "By who?" Artie asked. "By my brother." said a familiar female voice. He turned around to find Artemis standing behind them. "I'm sorry I had to leave you two." she said. Orion then asked her a question he'd been dying to ask her since he'd gotten claimed "Does this mean that I have to call you Auntie Artemis?" she smiled and then turned into a 27 year old version of herself. "You can if you want but most campers call me 'Lady Artemis'." she replied. He nodded. Then he got confused again. "But it still doesn't make sense." he said deep in thought. "Well gods don't have DNA so I'm not really your aunt." she replied obviously thinking that he was referring to the "aunt" thing. "No, not that. It still doesn't make sense why you helped us." he replied. "Orion, your father, Apollo, named you Orion for a reason." she replied. She then looked at his face and noticed he still didn't get it. "Do you know the story of Orion?" she asked him. "Yeah, he was a really good hunter, and your best friend, but dad got overprotective and tricked you into killing him." he replied. She smiled at how much knowledge he had. "That is correct. When your mother was pregnant with you, Apollo had a vision of you hunting. He saw that you were really good. So he named you Orion, after my best friend. He then gave you the purpose of becoming my new hunting companion."

**I want to end it here. Next chapter is going to begin with a flashback. So stay tuned. And people PLEEAAASSSSEEEE REVIEW. How else am I supposed to know that you guys like the story? So yeah review. All criticism accepted.**


	4. Pledges and Commitment

**Hey you guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Being a senior in high school is no cake walk. Lol. But here's Chapter 4. In this chapter Artemis becomes a bit OOC but don't get mad. All will be revealed in due time. Hope you guys enjoy and thanks so far for the criticism and praise. I truly appreciate it. Don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Chapter 4**

"I'm supposed to be your what?" Orion screamed. "My new hunting companion" said Artemis. Artie, feeling left out of the discussion, blurted the first thing that came to his mind. "Does this mean you two are going to fall in love?" That's when Artemis shot him a death glare that would make Hades, king of the underworld, cower in fear. "I am a maiden goddess! I don't fall in love!" she said fiercely. Artie then put his hands in the air in a signal of surrender. "Orion, your father has blessed you with the gift of archery skills that would rival anyone here at Camp Half Blood. I have also set up a training session with you and Chiron, so that you can learn how to use your powers." she said. "Why me? I mean I'm flattered and all but I do have a life. I don't want to spend the rest of my life hunting monsters with a goddess." said Orion turning to walk away.

For some strange reason after hearing that Artemis seemed to look a bit sad. Then a flicker of an idea to get Orion to take the offer. She didn't know why she hadn't started with it. " You would be immortal." she said. _**Immortal. **_The word stopped Orion in his tracks. His whole outlook on the situation changed. "Did you say immortal? Wouldn't that make me like a god or something?" he asked. "Unfortunately Orion, you wouldn't be a god. But I'm pretty sure that if you proved to be a great hero then you may be offered godhood. Just look at Percy Jackson, he defeated Kronos and the council offered him immortality." said Artemis. Artie's eyes almost popped out of his head. "You mean to tell me my tour guide is a god?" he said. "No. He refused the offer." she said. "Oh." said Artie a little disappointed. "Orion I will give you some time to think about the offer. I will see you at the Archery field at nine. Until then, think about it." and with that she was gone.

The hours seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. When nine came Orion was running to the Archery field. When he got there he saw Chiron and Artemis standing there. Artemis looked kind of worried. Probably thinking about whether Orion would take the job of being her companion. "So have you come to a decision?" Asked Artemis. "I'm in." said Orion. Orion had thought long and hard about the decision. He decided to take it because he saw how sad Artemis got when he said what he said earlier. He saw something different about Artemis from what the myths had said about her. She was supposed to hate men. Yet here she was, practically begging him to be her companion. He wouldn't hurt her like that. He was raised better than that. He looked at Artemis's face and saw the smile she was trying to fight off.

"Good. Then I have a present from me and your father." said Artemis. She handed Orion Two metal cuffs. One silver with a picture of the moon scribed in it. And one gold with a picture of the sun in it. Orion touched the two pictures together and a bow materialized in his hand. He looked at the bow in awe. Half silver and half gold connected at the middle where the arrowhead will touch. Orion noticed that there was no quiver. "Where are the arrows?" he asked. "pull the bowstring." she replied. When Orion pulled the bowstring, an arrow materialized between his fingers. "Just as my, as well as your father's, arrows never run out so will yours. Your arrows are made of pure energy forged from the sun and moon." she said to him proudly. Chiron seemed to grow impatient and anxious and cut in. "Shall we begin?" he said. Orion and Artemis nodded in response.

The next hour and a half Orion trained harder than he'd ever trained in his life. Hitting target after target, Artemis would throw vases at him for him to shoot. By the time he got to his bed in the Apollo cabin he was exhausted. He collapsed. The next morning Orion left his cabin to meet Artemis at the training field again. He was energized all over again. When he got there he saw Artemis there, but Chiron was not there. "Hello Lady Artemis." he said as he bowed to the goddess. "It's time for you to pledge your allegiance to me and the hunt." she said. "Okay. But how do I do that?" he replied. "Place your silver cuff over your heart and close your eyes." she said. When Orion obeyed he heard Artemis's voice in his head and told him what to say. "_**I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I look to the moon for it is the only light I shall follow. I swear by the Styxx to remain faithful to the hunt and not to others. And by this pledge I live my life.**_" he said.

Just then a silver gray mist surrounded him. It slowly coiled around him and entered his mouth. When Orion opened his eyes he noticed that his skin had a silver glow. He also noticed that his clothes had changed. He was now wearing a silver muscle shirt with the symbol of Artemis on it, and he was also wearing silver shorts with gold flames on the sides. He was wearing gold Ray Bans over his eyes. It seems Apollo helped pick the outfit out as well. "Thanks Dad." Orion said. Just looking at Orion Artemis began to think back on the first Orion. Her Orion.

**Hey guys I wanted to end the chapter here. I'm gonna start the next chapter off with a flashback from Artemis. It's gonna explain why she wants Orion to join her so bad. But until then REVIEW! Please Review. Click that button and tell me what you think. And don't be afraid to PM me with suggestions for the story. Well until we meet again Orion, Out.**

"_**Evil is easy to fight. Lack of wisdom…..that is very hard indeed." - Athena**_


	5. August 17th

**Hey guys, here's chapter 5. I would like to thank all of my reviewers! You guys are AWESOME! I would especially would like to give a shout out to cornelia1100! You are AMAZING! Keep REVIEWING PLEEAASEE! But without further ado. Chapter 5. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 5**

_***Flashback***_

_**Artemis sat on the beach looking at the sea. It reminded her of Orion, him being the son of Poseidon. Artemis sensed a presence next to her. "What do you want Apollo?" she asked her brother. She looked at her brother's face and saw that, instead of the usual playful smile he always had, there was a stern and serious look of grief and rage. "I have bad news. One of your maidens was raped." he said. Artemis looked at her brother with a look of disbelief, but then saw that his look did not change. Rage. Pure blinding rage is what filled her soul. "Where is this man that has dared to touch one of my maidens?" she said getting up swiftly. Nobody messes with her maidens. Just then he teleported them above the see. "See that moving spec? That is him." said Apollo. Artemis didn't even blink before notching an arrow and aiming it at the vial, sadistic, conniving man who raped her maiden. As she released the arrow she felt a wave of grief flourish through her. But she pushed it away and filled herself with relief that the man was now dead. **_

_**Artemis then transported to her hunters. To her surprise, none of them were hurt. None of them had even been touched. She then went back to the see the man she'd just shot. As she turned the man over, the grief that she'd pushed away had returned tenfold. She looked at the face of Orion, her best friend, her hunting companion, her Orion. Tears began to flow. More tears than she'd ever cried in her life. "APOLLO! I WILL KILL YOU!" she screamed. Apollo had taken away the only man she'd ever accepted into her life. She covered Orion's mouth and said an Olympian prayer. That night, August 17th, a group of stars shined brightly across the night sky. Orion. **_

_***End flashback***_

"So what do we do now?" asked Orion. He looked at Artemis and saw that she'd been daydreaming. He'd just sworn himself to her and here she was daydreaming. "Lady Artemis?" he called. "I'm sorry what were we talking about?" she replied. "I was asking what do we do now?" he replied. "Now that you know how to use your powers and have sworn yourself to me, I must explain the situation to my hunters. It would be best if you stayed here. They aren't as accepting as me. But before I go, when is your birthday?" she asked. "August 17th" said Orion. She smiled and then walked away. "Apollo never fails to impress me." she whispered leaving Orion with questioning the goddess's sanity.

_***Flashback***_

_**May 17**__**th**__**, 1994 **_

_**Artemis woke up feeling some sort of dread. She'd dreamt of Orion again for the 7**__**th**__** night straight. She got dressed and went to the beach and sat there the same way she'd done all those years ago. For the first time, in a long time, she cried. It was on this same beach she killed her best friend. Her only friend. As if on cue Apollo popped next to her. Only this time when she looked at his face it had a proud smile plastered on his face. This could only mean one thing. He was going to have a child soon. "What now?" said Artemis. She was very irritated at her brother lately. "I'm going to have a son." he said. "Congrats. Can you leave me alone now?" she replied. As much as she loved her little brother, though she'd never admit it, she really didn't care much for him today. "Artemis, I saw a vision of him hunting. He was truly amazing. The best hunter of all of my children." he said. She looked up and smiled half-heartedly at her brother. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked. "Because he was hunting with you. His name will be Orion. I want him to be your hunting companion." said Apollo. Apollo hated seeing his sister sad. And lately, she'd been depressed. It was beginning to affect her duties. It seemed the moon had been dimmed lately. "I don't want another hunting companion Apollo. And no child of yours can ever replace Orion." It hurt her to say his name, but she held her composure. "His pure skill can never be matched." she retorted. Apollo then placed his hand over her eyes and showed her the vision that had him so proud. "Wow. His skill is better than Orion's was." she whispered to herself. "I will accept his life but do not think for a second that I have forgiven you." she warned.**_

_***End flashback***_

Artemis wiped away a tear that had escaped her. She stopped herself before stepping foot into her hunter's campsite. She had news for them. Hopefully she wouldn't have to put another Orion in the stars.

**And that my friends is Chapter 5. Stay tuned to the next chapter. Artemis is going to tell her hunters about Orion. Will they accept him? You will just have to see. Until then, you see that button that says "Review"? How about you just click it and tell me what ya think? See you guys later.**

**Orion. Out.**


	6. You're kidding right?

**Hey you guys. I know its been a while since I updated this story. And I'm sorry. I've been going through so much stress I didn't have time to write. BUT NO MORE! BTW Son of Neptune is LIFE CHANGING! But without further ado. Here is chapter 6. Don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Chapter 6**

When the hunters saw Artemis, they all bowed respectfully. Thalia, her lieutenant, emerged from the crowd. "Hello milady, we weren't expecting you for another couple of days." she said. "I know Thalia, but I have some…news about someone that is going to be around for a long time." she replied. All the hunters started to get antsy. There hadn't been any new additions to the hunt in a while. "Well, who is she?" Thalia said finally speaking up. Artemis became instantly nervous. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Its not a _she_. _His _name is Orion. And he is the son of Apollo." she said. It seemed like the hunters to all say WHAT? At the same time. "Lady Artemis, You can't be serious. A _boy_ is going to join the hunt?" Thalia asked. And with that all the hunters seemed to all start talking at the same time.

In order to stop the madness, Artemis spoke up. "Thalia, Huntresses, do you know the story of the original Orion?" she asked. It seemed a lot of them knew it, but it was Thalia who spoke up. "He was the only boy you ever liked. Coincidentally, he was a son of Poseidon." she said. "And do you know how he died?" asked Artemis. "Yea, Apollo tricked you into killing him out of jealousy." the young huntress replied. "Exactly, now about 17 years ago, just before Orion, the new one, was born, Apollo had a vision of he and I hunting. He showed me the vision and I saw that his skill matched, if not trumped, that of the original Orion's. So Apollo named him Orion and gave his life to me and to the hunt." she explained.

At this, the hunters became quiet. Artemis began to continue. "I hope and expect you to treat him with fairness. For he has sworn his life to me and the hunt." she finished. For a while there was more silence. Then finally Thalia spoke up. "I understand, and I will try to accept him" she said. Thalia understood perfectly what was going on. Her brother, Jason, had the same thing happen to him. He didn't chose this. And for that, she understood. Artemis then left her hunters.

Artemis arrived at Camp Half Blood in a matter of seconds. She looked for Orion to tell him the news of how the hunters took the situation. At last she found him in the Archery field. He was notching arrow after arrow. Each time he shot one it split the last one. He was so deep in thought and concentration that he didn't notice her standing there. When he finally saw her he bowed. "Hello Lady Artemis, did you talk to your hunters?" he asked. "Yes I did, and they are willing to accept you." she said. Orion just nodded in compliance. Artemis seemed to notice that he wasn't as cheery as usual. She became interested. "What is wrong Orion?" she asked him. He looked at her with pained eyes and replied "I spoke to my mother today. She said Apollo never told her about the….deal we made. So now she's sad. She thinks I wanted this to happen. She thinks I don't want to come home." he replied. Tears pricked his eyes. Artemis seemed to sense the sadness inside him.

She then did something that no one, not even Zeus himself, would've thought she would do. She hugged him. It was an awkward hug. But a hug none the less. Orion was shocked. Frozen in surprise. He finally spoke up. "Uhh Artemis, what are you doing?" he asked. She let him go and looked at him quizzically. "Isn't that what humans do when they're sad?" she asked. "Yes but _your _not supposed to. You're a maiden goddess. You're not even supposed to remotely like men," he retorted. The goddess just smiled. "You are not just a regular man Orion. You are a part of the hunt. My hunters are very much like family to me." she replied.

Orion seemed to cheer up a little. When did she become able to control his emotions? "Thank you Lady Artemis. I feel a bit better now." replied Orion. He picked up his bow and changed them back into the cuffs on his wrists. He then looked at Artemis. "So, what's next?" he asked. At the sound of the question, Artemis's expression changed from concern to pure evil. Orion looked at the goddess's evil smile and arched his brow. She looked him straight in the eyes and said "Now you have to meet the hunters. Good luck." she replied. And with that she transported them out of Camp Half Blood.

**So, What do you think? Review and let me know. Next chapter, Orion meets the hunters. Uh Oh! I smell trouble. Oh wait of course I smell trouble, IM THE WRITER! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Okay enough crazy Orion. But seriously REVIEW! TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE STORY. SHOULD ORION GET A LOVE INTEREST? HE DIDN'T SWEAR OFF GIRLS. IT COULD HAPPEN. YA NEVER KNOW. **

**-Orion Out.**


	7. IMPORTANT AN PLEASE READ!

**IMPORTANT A/N!**

**Hello loyal readers! *dodges knife/bullet/and other lethal weapons* Hey, Hey ,Hey I know it's been almost 3 years since my last update, but I've been having some issues with figuring out where I want to take this story. I kinda left you guys off at a cliffhanger but NO MORE! I want you guys to know that I appreciate your loyalty and know that my hiatus is over. I'm finally in college and have way too much free time on my hands so I will be trying to get a couple chapters out soon. **


	8. Boys of the Hunt

**Hey you guys. As promised, here is the new chapter of "Orion's Journey" please note that my writing style has developed quite a bit in the 3 years so please review! **

_**Last time on Orion's Journey:**_

_"So, what's next?" he asked. At the sound of the question, Artemis's expression changed from concern to pure evil. Orion looked at the goddess's evil smile and arched his brow. She looked him straight in the eyes and said "Now you have to meet the hunters. Good luck." she replied. And with that she transported them out of Camp Half Blood._

**Chapter 7**

Fear. That was all Orion could feel as he looked at the many arrows that were notched at him. As he recounted the short seventeen years of his life, he figured that he'd lived a decent life. Never committed any crimes, always ate his vegetables, he figured that, since he finally found out who his father was, he could finally die in peace. So as he closed his eyes and braced himself for the darkness of death, he was content with dying, but relief came in the form of a loud booming voice that he seemed to recognize very well.

"HUNTERS, STAND DOWN NOW!" shouted the voice of Artemis. As Orion opened his eyes he noticed a couple of things, the first being that the arrowheads were no longer pointed at him. The second being that the young girls that had their arrows aimed at his face, torso, and lower regions, were now bowing in front of him. Seconds later he noticed that they weren't bowing to him as much as they were bowing to the goddess that stood behind him. "Orion, these are my loyal huntresses, as you can see, they aren't the most welcoming to boys," said the goddess. Just as Orion was going to give a snide comment that probably would have turned him into a pincushion, or a jackal, a girl that looked to be about his age stepped through the mist of hunters. She had short black hair and had a circlet on her head. And even though she looked like a normal punk/scene kid that he'd see at school, as she walked through the crowd, Orion had to fight the urge to bow to her. She just radiated respect.

"Hello, I'm Thalia, Lady Artemis's lieutenant. You must be Orion, our new recruit." She said as she flashed him a smile. He seemed surprised when she smiled at him. "Yes, how did you know?" he replied. "If you weren't Orion, you'd be dead right now." She said with such seriousness that it kind of scared him. Hearing her tone, he decided to let it go. He didn't have a death wish. Thalia then smiled at him, "I can show you to your tent. I'm sure you will learn that we are very different from Camp Half-Blood. We don't have a permanent location to set up camp, but when we do find a place we usually stay here for a couple of weeks depending on if we're in pursuit of something." She explained to him. Orion just nodded in response. As they were walking to where the hunters set up their tents, he heard the sound of a growling animal. Given his prior experience with growling animals behind him, Orion turned around he willed his bow to appear and pulled an arrow to ready. He looked and saw the biggest pack of pure white wolves he'd ever seen, and they didn't look happy to see him. As he was about to unleash the volley of arrows on the pack, he heard Thalia yelling for him to stop. "These are our loyal pack of wolves that help us hunt. They mean you no harm. They just aren't used to such a masculine scent." She explained. As Orion released his tension, the arrow disappeared from the bowstring. It was then he noticed that the rest of the hunters were looking at him with wide eyes. When he asked what the problem was Artemis explained that they had never seen a bow that looked quite like the one he wielded.

Later that night, as Orion was walking around the camp, he passed by the wolf kennel, when he heard a loud howl, but there was something different about this howl. It was one of pain. He didn't quite know how he knew that the wolf was in pain, but he did. When he ran into the kennel he noticed that one of the older wolves was in labor. He ran out of the kennel to go get Artemis, her being the goddess of childbirth and all. As they ran back to the kennel Artemis began to pull pup after pup out of the womb of the mother wolf. Orion, being the somewhat sheltered teen he was, did what any teenage boy would do when witnessing childbirth. He fainted.

When Orion opened his eyes he noticed that his face was wet and there was something warm laying on him. When he looked up he saw a small white bundle lying on his chest. When he examined closer he was slowly able to make out two small ears, a small tail and a little black nose. He was brought out of his examination when he heard the voice of Artemis, "Welcome back to the land of the living." She said barely holding in her laughter. After remembering the bundle lying on his chest he looked back to Artemis, "It seems that I have made a friend." He said smiling. "Yes, it would seem so. How ironic that you are both the first males of your kind." She said. When she saw his confused look she began to explain that her wolves were always female and that they were completely asexual. Hearing this, Orion looked at the little bundle on his chest, "Well, looks like it's just me and you." It was then that the wolf opened its eyes and for the first time Orion looked into eyes so blue they seemed to bare into his soul. "Do you want to name him?" Artemis said. "I can do that?" he asked incredulously. "Well I don't think the girls would mind you giving a name our first male wolf. Also I figure you would want a companion when hunting and it seems he's taken a liking to you already." She said taking notice that the pup was snuggling into the crook of Orion's neck. "So what will you name him?" she said. As he looked into the eyes of the pup a name came to mind. "Merrick." He said. As soon as the pup heard it he began to lick Orion's face in happiness. "I guess he likes his name." said Orion "I guess so." Said Artemis

**Aaaaaaand DONE! Longest chapter yet! I will try to keep my updates about this length so Review and Im gonna give Orion another wolf. Its gonna be a female so tell me what you want the name to be! But most of all REVIEW! Orion Out!**


	9. Pranks, and Sisters?

**Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! Don't forget to Review!**

**Chapter 8**

If Orion had one thing that he could always rely on, it was his instincts and boy were they on overdrive today. As he was asleep in his tent this morning, everything inside of him shouted, "MOVE!" all at one time, and as he moved to the left side of his tent he dodged a barrage of arrows that "just so happened" to be shot in his tent. Later in the day as he was playing with his wolf pup Merrick, he couldn't shake the feeling that the hunters were planning something. Then when lunch rolled around his instinct told him not to eat the food that was set in his spot, turns out, that the hunters had slipped sneezing powder in his food.

Getting fed up with the hunters' schemes he decided to go to the leader of the hunt, Thalia. "Can you tell your troop to knock it off with the pranks?" he asked irritation clear in his voice. "What are you talking about?" asked Thalia. "You mean to tell me you did not know about the barrage of arrows that were shot into my tent as a "Wake up call" and the sneezing powder in my lunch, or gods knows what other torture the hunters have planned?" he asked furiously. Seeing his irritation, Thalia decided to stop acting ignorant. "Listen Orion, you have to understand that we've never had a boy in the hunt, so the girls will probably be a little unwelcoming to the fact that we have one thrown on us at a moment's notice." She replied. Hearing this Orion just dropped his head and accepted that this wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Without a reply he left Thalia's tent.

After leaving Thalia's tent, Orion decided to go visit Merrick again. As he was playing with him, he felt a presence behind him. Given his previous experiences today, he immediately willed his bow to appear and aimed an arrow at the presence. "DON'T SHOOT!" cried a small voice. It was then he noticed a young girl no older than ten in front of his arrowhead, fear very evident in her small green eyes. Seeing he was not in danger, he relaxed his bowstring and willed his bow to disappear. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you. You just snuck up on me." He apologized. The little girl just smiled at him and nodded. "Why are you always in here?" the little girl asked. "I guess it's because I only have one friend here, and that's Merrick here." He said pointing to the pup that replied in a yip. Giggling at the pup's antics, the little girl looked at Orion and said "Why don't you have more friends?" she asked innocently. "It's because I'm a boy and the rest of the hunters don't like boys." He replied to the little girl. "Well you don't seem like a bad person. If you want, I'll be your friend." She replied with a smile. "I would like that a lot." He said. The little girl then held her hand out to shake his and said "My name is Xaria." She said. "Orion." He replied. "So who's your godly parent?" she asked him. "Apollo, and yours?" he replied. Then her eyes got really wide and her smile, if possible, got even bigger. She then tackled him with a shout of "BROTHER!" He was quickly brought out of his surprise by the voice of Artemis, "So I see you've met Xaria?" She said with a grin. "Yea, I kind of almost killed her then we started talking. I didn't know that you had daughters of Apollo in the hunt." He said confused. "I accept any maiden who pledges themselves to me." She replied. "Are there any more of us here?" asked Orion. "Just one," she replied with a sadistic grin, "but she'll be a little harder to convince." "Well which one is she?" Orion asked all ready to prove the goddess wrong. Just as Artemis was about to answer his question, Orion was forced to dodge an arrow that passed right by his face. Following the origin of the arrow he was met with a pair of fierce hazel eyes that belonged to a girl about his age who was standing in a group of girls that were just as intimidating as she was. She had lightly tanned skin, a tall but slightly muscular build, and long, dark brown hair with a green streak in the front; she could easily scare any male over the age of 13. As Orion was about to say something Artemis looked at him and said, "That one." As Orion let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding, he thought to himself _well, this is going to be interesting._

**AND THAT'S IT FOR THIS CHAPTER! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and new characters. Just to let you guys know I am still taking suggestions for Orion's female wolf. So REVIEW! Orion Out!**


	10. Allies, Wars, and Old Enemies

**Hello Readers! I'm back. Got some news for you guys too. I'm finding myself with a lot more free time lately so expect more chapters, or longer chapters. Also I don't need a name for Orion's other wolf. Got the name from one of my friends at work. So here is the next chapter of Orion's Journey.**

**Chapter 9**

As the two children of Apollo stared at each other, one could say that the nice summer day with the sun shining in the sky, turned to a freezing, cold day in December. Everything seemed to freeze over. Even Xaria and began to cower behind Artemis. As if sensing the sheer hatred directed at his master, Merrick stepped out in front of Orion, his head held high as if to say, "I'll protect you." Seeing the bravado of the pup, the female half-blood decided to back off on the hatred a little bit, but then turned a sadistic smile to her half-brother and said, "Hmm, seems your mutt has more guts than you do. Maybe HE should be the new hunter." The girls around her snickering as to humiliate him even more. This only proved to irritate Orion to the core. As his anger reached its peak, he shouted back, "Who do you think you are?" "The names Sofie, and don't you forget it." She said with a look that screamed _I will do bad things to you with a rusty arrow. _ Accepting the non-verbal challenge, Orion willed his bow to appear and notched an arrow and leveled a similar glare that said _please, try it. I will feast on your bones. _ Hoping to calm the situation Artemis decided to step in and stop the two before they destroyed the camp. "Stand down, both of you. Orion I hate to tell you this, but you're way out of your league. Sofie, as a hunter who has been with me the longest I am appalled at your actions. Everyone else, disperse and continue with your duties for the night." As everyone went back to what they were doing, Sofie and Orion held their glare and gave a unanimous thought. _This is NOT over._

As the night went on, the tension seemed to leave. Orion, however, was still fuming and chose to vent to the one person he knew would listen. "-like, who does she think she is? I was just trying to be nice and meet my half-blood family and here she comes acting like I kicked her in the face! You know what I'm saying?" he said as he turned to the concerned, yet confused wolf pup, who just stared at him with a supportive look. "You don't even understand me. What is going on with me?" he said. "Do you want the short list or the long?" said a voice behind him. Orion jumped and on instinct willed his bow to appear. He turned around to see Thalia, "Whoa, whoa, it's just me." She said defensively. "Oh, it's you. Did you come here to tease me and shoot arrows at me too? Or did you come to finish what Sofie started and just kill me?" he said. "Actually, I was walking across camp and heard you venting. Seems like you needed a friend." She said. Orion, bewildered, just stared at her for a minute. "I thought the hunters didn't like boys?" he asked. "It's not that we don't like boys, we swore off love, so to avoid temptation we do everything we can to not have them around. My best friend in fact is a boy, and my brother is very close to me." She said. At the word brother she could see Orion's face deflate. "All I wanted to do was introduce myself, and she treats me like I did something terrible to her. In fact, all of the hunters do. Why is it so wrong that I'm here? I didn't choose this life." He said. It was at this moment that Merrick, sensing his master's emotional distress, chose to show himself. He climbed into Orion's lap and looked into his eyes. Orion's heart seemed to warm at this. "Looks like someone cares about you." Said Thalia. Looking into the eyes of the pup Orion said, "Yeah buddy, it's just you and me." "I'm still here you know?" said Thalia. "Yeah you are, and I thank you for that, but you're one of _them_" he said spitting the word out like it was acid. "I've been here two days and nobody, but you and Lady Artemis, has shown me any kindness. Why is that?" "Well you did join an all-girl hunting group, led by Artemis, the number one anti-male goddess on Olympus herself. " Thalia said matter-of-factly. "And you have more people that care about you. What about Xaria? Or Merrick? They care." She said. "Well can you at least tell the hunters to lay off me a bit? I know that I'm the boy of the hunt which puts me at the bottom of the food chain, but Artemis said herself that we're a family." Said Orion. Hearing the word family, Thalia went deep into thought. "You know what? You're right. That's why I'm not going to tell the hunters to lay off." At this Orion was shocked to say the least, but before he could get angry and snap at her, he was cut off by Thalia again, "I'm going to help you get even." She said with a sadistic grin. Orion looked at her in awe. Here was the second in command to the leader of the hunt, helping him get even with the very people she leads. So stunned he could only say, "Ok."

With that, the Prank Wars began with a vengeance. There were "fart arrows" flying left and right, itching powder put in tents, there was even a boar loosed among the huntresses. The levels of chaos were so high that Artemis had to step in a few times to stop everyone from killing each other. "ENOUGH! I have had it with this constant fighting and pranks on each other! We are the hunt! We're supposed to be a unit! A family! For some of you that concept should be stronger than others" she said looking at Sofie and Orion who had their arrows notched at each other. "Now, onto a more important matter. There is a manticore out on the loose." Hearing the name of the species Thalia visibly flinched. Although, no one aside from Orion and Artemis caught it. "Let's pack up the camp and get out of here, and I swear on the name of Zeus, if I hear even the smallest of bickering, I will turn all of you into animals and hunt you down myself. Am I clear?" she asked with authority only a goddess of the hunt could hold. A resounding "Yes Ma'am" was their answer.

After silently packing up the camp, Artemis and the hunt took off. Orion and Merrick were bringing up the rear when suddenly Merrick started to howl. When Artemis heard the howl she halted everyone and immediately went on guard. It was no secret that a male wolf's nose was stronger than any of the other wolves. If Merrick smelled the manticore, it was close. Suddenly, everything went to Tartarus hunters began to get scratches left and right. Orion being a man of great instincts dodged what was about to scratch him, and loosed an arrow in the direction of the mysterious object. That was when they heard a deep clearly foreign voice.

"Ahh Artemis of the hunt, we meet again. Oh look, you brought along young Thalia too."

**And Im gonna stop there! So review. Please. **


End file.
